Les Stackpool - Australian Guitar Legend
- graemebrown101
- 2 days ago
- 30 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
When 15-year-old Les Stacpool was handed a guitar and told, “We need a guitarist, can you learn to play this?”, it was no problem for the talented young musician because Les could play any instrument, he got his hands on. Les went on to play guitar with many of the best bands in Australia during the ‘60s and ‘70s and inspired many guitarists throughout the country. Long-time friend Geoff Wright has the highest regard for Les’ talents and believes, “If he was born in New York, LA or London he would be internationally famous because no-one in the world can play like Les. The way he plays chords, he’s just unique.” Legendary Australian guitarist Lobby Loyde once described Les as having “fifteen fingers on each hand” and being like “an orchestra by himself.”
Lesley Robert Stacpool was born on September 18th, 1944 and grew up in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy North. He was the youngest of two boys and his brother Albert was three years older. Both of Les’ parents were working musicians, his father Albert Senior was a singer who often sang at the Monday night dance at the Collingwood Town Hall. His mother Ellen Amelia (nee Griffiths) played piano and also taught piano. Both of Les’ parents were dancers and as a child Les was taught tap dancing.
The first instrument Les learned to play was the piano which he says, “has been really good because it covers everything.” Growing up Les and his brother had a piano in their room so they both started playing from a very young age. Another early influence for the Stacpool brothers was the radio and the music being played on American radio. Les recalls, “I grew up before television. We had a big old radio in the bedroom, and we used to listen to America on Saturday night.”
As a youngster his father would take Les to the Rifle Club in Brunswick. Next door to the Rifle Club was a brass band. So, while his father was practising his rifle shooting, Les would go next door and sit in with the brass band where he learned to play the tenor horn.
Les went to Miller Street Primary then attended Collingwood Tech. In September 1959 when aspiring vocalist John Chester formed a band, Les was asked to be his saxophone player and his brother Albert the piano. The band started rehearsing at St Cecilia’s Hall in West Preston on Saturday afternoons. Quite a few local teenagers started turning up to the rehearsals, so Chester decided to start a Saturday night dance. 200 kids turned up for the first dance and its popularity continued to grow each week.
PART 1 – THE CHESSMEN TO IN FOCUS 1959 – 1969
The band called themselves the Jaywoods and the original line-up were Johnny Chester (vocals), Albert Stacpool (piano), Les Stacpool (sax), Lee Woodhouse (drums), Jeff Cason (upright slap bass) and Huey Fryer (guitar). After two months Woodhouse left and was replaced by Barry Windley and the band changed their name to the Chessmen. After a few more dances at St Cecilia’s Hall, it was decided they needed to find a bigger hall. The Preston Town Hall was nearby and was not being used. Les recalls, “There’d been a murder or something in Preston Town Hall, that’s why it was all closed down. John Chester’s old man went up there with a bunch of money and said, ‘Come on you guys, let’s get this thing happening.’“
By September 1960 Johnny Chester & the Chessmen’s dance was moved to the Preston Town Hall. With the help of DJ Stan Rofe, who not only gave the dance a good plug on his radio show, he also came along as compere. The dance was a huge success regularly attracting crowds of over 1000 teenagers. New Year Eve dances attracted such a large crowd that the hall adjoining the main hall was opened as well. Les recalls, “I still remember the girls in their flaring skirts and stuff, and particularly New Year’s Eve it would be full. We’d have two dance halls full.”
Throughout 1960 the Chessmen’s line-up underwent constant changes. Jeff Cason left and was replaced by Ken Branchflower who played an electric bass. Branchflower was later replaced by Frank McMahon. Billy Dale (lead guitar), George Dale (rhythm guitar) and Laurie Arthur (lead guitar) were short-term members. As a regular lead guitarist could not be found, Chester asked Les to learn to play the guitar. Les had never played the guitar before, but it was not a problem because he had the ability to learn to quickly play any instrument he picked up.
The Thunderbird’s were the backing band on Johnny Chester’s first three singles then the Chessmen were asked to back Chester’s fourth single, Shy Away/A Funny Feeling released on W&G on August 9th, 1962. The Chessmen’s line-up at this stage were Albert Stacpool (piano), Les Stacpool (lead guitar), Frank McMahon (bass) and Graeme Trottman (drums). Mike Lynch replaced Trottman on drums and this line-up remained with Chester for the remainder of his W&G days.
It was Les’ first time in a recording studio and he had very little experience playing the guitar at that stage, but luckily Thunderbird’s guitarist Charlie Gauld was there to help him out. Les recalls,
“Charlie Gauld was instrumental in getting me started on guitar. He came to our first recording session and when it came to the solo section of the song he said, ‘What do you want the solo to sound like?’ I went through a few ideas, what about this, what about this? And he played the solo, and that was my guitar lesson. I’m a self-taught guitar player but the guy who set me on the right path was Charlie Gauld. He’s an excellent musician, an exceptionally gifted person.”
In September 1962 the Chessmen released a single in their own right. Rebel (Johnny Yuma)/Outer Santum were instrumental tracks produced by Johnny Chester. The B-side Outer Santum was co-written by the Stacpool brothers. The second Chessmen single Rock’n’Roll Music/Like Long Hair appeared 18 months later in May 1964. Les took lead vocals on Chuck Berry’s Rock’n’Roll Music and Like Long Hair was a cover of a 1961 Paul Revere & the Raiders instrumental.
The single was a minor hit in Melbourne which prompted W&G to give the Chessmen the chance to record an album. The LP ‘The Chessmen Play And Sing Dance Favourites’ is a mixture of vocal and instrumental tracks with many standouts. Les’ talents really come to the fore on this album, he takes lead vocals on six of the tracks and he composed the excellent instrumental Twistified.
“Put simply, it’s a minor classic of the rock’n’roll genre, particularly as by the time it was released, beat ruled” (Mittlehauser).
Two tracks were lifted from the album for the Chessmen’s third single Wild Little Willie/Twistified in July 1964. Wild Little Willie is an up-tempo rock’n’roll song originally recorded by Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks in 1959.
Guitarist Barry Roy often filled-in for Les in the Chessmen when Les was busy doing other work. The two crossed paths many times for the next 50 years, filling-in for each other and taking over spots in various bands. Roy has the highest regard for Les’ ability as a guitarist. He recalls,
“I went to see Les play many times, not to play just to see Les. Everybody had that, ‘I must see Les play.’ I used to go and see him and while everyone’s out in the bar, having a drink and all that, Les would be in the back room practising. And not practicing a song, he would be practicing how to play it differently. Whatever the song was, he just put a real top on that song.”
In July 1964 Johnny Chester became the compere of his own national TV show, ‘Teen Scene’ which ran for two seasons. The Chessmen were the resident group and backed all the artists who appeared on the show. A young Olivia Newton-John was a regular guest on the show.
September 1964 saw the release of the Chessmen’s fourth single Hound Dog/Bop A Lena on the In label. The Chessmen parted company with Johnny Chester in late 1965/early 1966. Chester formed the John Chester Trio with Albert Stacpool (piano), Johnny Marco (guitar) and Tony Vigushin (bass), then in 1966 he became a DJ on Melbourne radio 3UZ. He then went on to a successful career in country music. Chester held the Chessmen and Les especially in high regard,
“The Chessmen were as good as any rock’n’roll band in Australia. They were a great band. There was a lot of soul in that band. A lot of it emanated from Les Stacpool because Les is a very soulful person.”
It did not take Les long to find a new group. Clean cut pop idol Merv Benton formed the original line-up of the Tamlas in early 1965. When rhythm guitarist Ron Gilbee joined the group about a year later the rest of the group were not happy with their current lead guitarist Noel Watson. When they heard that the Chessmen had split up they took a vote and decided to get Les in to replace Watson. The Tamlas line-up when Les joined included Malcolm Hope (bass), Ron Gilbee (rhythm guitar), Eddie Chappell (drums) and Les Stacpool (lead guitar). In a recent text Ron Gilbee wrote, “Les Stacpool was the best guitarist I ever played with.” And added, “Back in our day, Les didn’t drink or anything like that, but he loved his icecream.”
During the time Les was playing with the Tamlas he had a big influence on a young English guitarist named Chris Stockley who arrived in Melbourne in 1964. In England he had been exposed to the blues and he found Melbourne guitarists played a completely different style to the one he’d been taught. Chris recalls,
“I was always trying to play the blues in a place where it wasn’t welcome. I met a guitar player called Greg Cook (Campact) who had come from a totally different school of players. He introduced me to players like Bernie O’Brien and Les Stacpool and they played in a totally different way, very much a country influence. He took me to see Les a few times and it totally blew me away.”
Stockley was also impressed by the way Les played Lonnie Mack’s instrumental version of Chuck Berry’s Memphis.“I’d go anywhere to see someone play ‘Memphis’ and there were only two guys in Melbourne who could play that, Charlie Gauld and Les Stacpool. So immediately I was his biggest fan for quite some time.” Chris Stockley would go on to achieve a great deal of success in Axiom and the Dingoes.
During 1966 Merv Benton & the Tamlas released a number of hit singles and “created great excitement amongst female fans whenever he sang.” (McGrath), but by August all of this success came to an abrupt end when it was announced that Merv was suffering from throat problems and needed a lengthy break to recover. When Les realised that his work with the Tamlas was about to end he started looking around for a new group. He played with the Grantley Dee Band for a short time then joined the Clefs.
The Clefs were formed in Adelaide in 1961. Scottish-born Barry McAskill joined in 1966 and by June of that year the group relocated to Melbourne and were building a good reputation in the club and discotheque circuit. In early 1967 piano player Tweed Harris accepted an offer to join a new ‘supergroup’ that was being formed, the Groove. McAskill was also offered a place in the new group as lead singer but decided to remain with the Clefs. McAskill reformed the Clefs and bought in Les as lead guitarist along with Bob Jeffery on sax, Gil Matthews on drums, Doug Stirling on bass and Inez Amaya on vocals and renamed the group, the Levi Smith Clefs.
The Levi Smith Clefs worked in Melbourne and Adelaide then travelled to Sydney where they played at the Here Disco. Then they were offered a 3-month season at the Whiskey Au-Go-Go which turned into a 6-night a week 18-month residency.
“They played tough and gutsy rhythm & blues, not unlike Max Merritt & the Meteors …Big Barry ‘The Bear’ had a commanding presence on stage and had that roaring big voice… I first saw them at the old Whiskey Au-Go-Go club in William Street in the Cross. At that time there were many US servicemen visiting us here on their R&R leave from Vietnam, they just loved that band’s big sound.” (Ross Summerell – Facebook comment 2023).
Les loved living in Sydney’s King’s Cross and enjoyed playing in Levi Smith Clefs at the Whiskey. He recalls, “It was a good gig Whiskey-Au-Go Go, we were well looked after.” But unfortunately, his time there was short-lived. Les married his first wife who was a Melbourne girl, during his time in Sydney and she was not happy living in Sydney. So, Les quit Levi Smith Clefs and returned to Melbourne for the sake of his marriage.
Back in Melbourne Les met up with Ronnie Peel and joined a new band he was forming called Rockwell T James & the Rhythm Aces. Rockwell T James was the name adopted by bass player Ronnie Peel (Aug 9th 1946 – Nov 1st, 2020) who had started playing in Sydney in the mid-60s. His first band was the Mystics, followed by the Missing Links, then the Pleazers, which took him to New Zealand for a while.
The line-up of Rockwell T James & the Rhythm Aces included: Ronnie Peel (bass), Lance Dixon (organ), Les Stacpool (guitar), Ron Freeman (sax) and Roger Felice-Andrews (drums). The group relocated to Sydney and became the house band at Whiskey Au-Go-Go and in February 1968 they issued the single Love Power/New Orleans Funk on the Festival label. The group folded mid-year in 1968 and Les formed the Browns with Ronnie Peel and drummer Ray Arnott.
“The Browns were my favourite group to watch live in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Les was amazing and has more chops than I could take.” (Ted Atkinson, Facebook comment July 2023)
The Browns played floorshows backing all the pop stars of the time, often playing three gigs in one day. Ray Arnott recalls,
“We played a lot of shows. We backed the Virgil Brothers, Pat Carroll, Bev Harrell, Ronnie Burns, Marty Rhone. We played at the Dandenong Town Hall and there’d be four acts come through and we’d rehearse with them through the week, and they’d come up and do three or four songs. Then we’d go to the Ringwood Town Hall and do the same sort of stuff. It was great for me because I had to play all sorts of music.”
The Browns backed New Zealand soul singer Leo de Castro for a short time and then English girl Annie Neil who used the stage name Bernadette. Annie recalls,
“We did Sebastian’s, Berties, the Thumpin’ Tum but we also did a stint in Sydney, which was a real education for me. We travelled up to Sydney in the van with all the gear and it was interesting because we played a club, but we went there one day to have a run through and testing the instruments and the PA and the place got shot up by a load of gangsters. It was pretty happening, I was such a baby, but they looked after me and Les was very kind.”
During their time together in the Browns Les taught Ray Arnott to play guitar, a skill he put to good use later in his career. Ray recalls,
“I’ll be forever grateful to Les, he taught me to play Chuck Berry songs on guitar. I’ve written thousands of songs thanks to Les teaching me those three or four chords. He was a real gentleman, he was fun to be in a band with, and it was great for me at the start of it all.”
Ray went onto to an outstanding career filling the drummer’s seat in some iconic Australian bands including Spectrum, Mighty Kong, the Dingoes, Cold Chisel and the Jimmy Barnes Band.
In December 1969 Les joined Doug Parkinson In Focus but his time in this group was to be short-lived. When original members Duncan McGuire and Billy Green left In Focus to form the ‘supergroup’, Rush, Les and Mick Rogers (ex-Procession) came in to take their places. Green returned in January 1970 and the band appeared at the Ourimbah Pop Festival. McGuire returned the next month and Les and Roger departed.
During his time with In Focus Les earnt the nickname ‘crazy legs’ because of the unusual way he used to dance around on stage while he was playing. Les remembers Doug Parkinson “as a nice guy, who tried his best. I remember I went to a few of his performances over the years. He was always a good bloke, I couldn’t say a bad word about him."
PART 2 - GENESIS TO THE LIVING LEGENDS 1970 – 1979
After leaving Doug Parkinson’s In Focus at the start of 1970, Les quickly found his next group. He joined a new group called Genesis (not to be confused with the Phil Collins band of the same name). Genesis was billed as a ‘New Blues Supergroup’ and the line-up included Les Stacpool (guitar), Reno Tehei (guitar ex-Compulsion), John ‘Yuk’ Harrison (bass ex-Max Merritt & the Meteors) and Laurie Pryor (drums ex-Twilights). ‘Blues Master’ Matt Taylor travelled from Sydney to join the group in February to complete the line-up. Despite the enormous potential of Genesis, Les only played with them for a short time and in April he left and joined Sydney group Aesop’s Fables.
Aesop’s Fables were one of a number of band’s formed around 1968/69 featuring a female singer and styled on the more ‘sophisticated’ sound of groups like the 5th Dimension. In 1969 they were runners-up in Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds but split up soon after. In February 1970 original members Russell Dunlop and Gary Moberley revived the band. The new line-up consisted of Brenda Glover (vocals), Brian Holloway (guitar), Owen Booth (bass), Gary Moberley (organ) and Russell Dunlop (drums, vocals). Les replaced Holloway after two months.
“Glover was a blues belter in the vein of Wendy Stapleton, Bobbi Marchini and Alison McCallum and helped steer the band down a more rock-oriented path.” (McFarlane)
Unfortunately, things did not work out well for the band and they broke-up in October 1970. Les recalls, “They tried to rebuild the band and they did a tour, but it didn’t really work out all that successfully. The chemistry just wasn’t there.”
Several months after the group had split, Aesop’s Fables only single Little Yellow Pills/Sandman came out on Guss McNeil’s new Generation label in February 1971. Little Yellow Pills was a Jackie Lomax cover and Sandman was a Les Stacpool original which he describes as “a simple blues song.” In November 1971 the same label issued Les’ first and only solo single, Down By The River/Don’t Go Away. The A-side was a cover of the well-known Neil Young song, and the B-side was another Les Stacpool original.
Les joined the group, Sasha before landing the guitar seat in the band for the stage musical ‘Hair’. The original Australian production of ‘Hair’ debuted in Sydney in June 1969 then transferred to Melbourne in 1971. When a spot came up for a female singer in the production, Les rang his former bandmate from the Browns, Annie Neil and told her, “They’re looking for a female singer, get here now.” Annie recalls,
“I went up to the theatre and I hate auditions, but because it was Les playing, I felt so comfortable, and I got the gig. So, I toured with that show for two years and Les was the guitar player the whole time. I went back to London and got into the West End production of ‘Hair’, then I moved into ‘Superstar’. None of that would have happened unless Les hadn’t got me that initial audition. I’m eternally grateful to him.”
‘Hair’ travelled to New Zealand and then did a national tour around Australia. When the ‘Hair’ production finished Les joined Sydney folk-rock group Country Radio, who are best remembered for their enduring 1972 hit Gypsy Queen. After appearing at the Sunbury Festival in January 1973, band leader Greg Quill formed a new line-up with Tony Bolten (drums), John Du Bois (bass) and Russ Johnson (guitar). Les and Russell Hinton took turns took turns at playing guitar throughout the year. County Radio recorded the single Bound For South Australia/ I Need A Woman in August 1973 and after the single failed to chart, Quill dissolved the band. Les appeared on Quill’s solo album ‘The Outlaw’s Reply’ released in 1974 and has these memories of Greg Quill, “He was always kind of serious and all that stuff, which is not too bad. He wasn’t sort of a happy smiling guy, but he was a very nice person.”
During 1974 Les played for a short time with New Zealand soul trio Dalvanius & the Fascinations. The group recorded two singles, Love Train and Respect Yourself during that time. Throughout the ‘70s Les was an in-demand session player and was largely uncredited.
Eccentric singer/songwriter Gulliver Smith had been performing since the early ‘60s, his friendship with Les goes back to the days when they were growing up in Fitzroy together in the ‘50s. Kevin Gullifer Smith (1950 -Nov 2001) “was known for his outrageous stage act which incorporated an inventive free form approach and much evangelist-styled ad-libbing.”(McFarlane). In mid-’76 Smith formed Gulliver’s Travels. The line-up included Mal Capewell (sax), Gerry Joyce (guitar), John Mills (keys), Wayne Duncan (bass), Robert Souter (drums). Greg Lawrie replaced Joyce on guitar. Les was also a member at one stage.
Another group Les was part of during the mid-‘70s was a cabaret/comedy band called Light Brigade. The band was put together by Ron Fletcher and they had a Sunday gig at the Coxton Park Hotel and they were very popular on the VFL Football Club social club circuit. Ron Fletcher began performing on the Melbourne Dance circuit in the early ‘60s then moved into management working for DYT Productions and was personal manager for the Strangers. The early line-up included Ron Fletcher (singer/compere), Mick ‘The Reverend’ O’Connor (keyboards), Barry Roy (banjo), Ron Scott (drums??). Barry Roy recalls, “The guys in Light Brigade were out there, they were right amongst the audience. It was a singalong band and they were big.” Les took Barry’s place in the band in 1974 and played with them for several years.
Another group Les played with around this time, although he was not an official member was Saltbush. Les was good friends with members Bernie O’Brien, Harold Frith, Paul Pyle and Noel Watson. Playing their own unique brand of country, mixed with bluegrass, they were popular on the Melbourne pub circuit. In 1975 Les started attending Tai Chi classes which he enjoyed immensely and continued practicing for several years. Following the teachings of the late Dr Chen Fei he became an accomplished Tai Chi Master. Simon Murray was Les’ longest-term Tai Chi student. He recently posted on Facebook,
“I was Les’ longest-term Tai Chi student, starting my training with him around 2002. I met him through one of those chance interactions that, in hindsight, look a lot like fate. I got to know him pretty well, and trained with him once or twice a week, eventually picking up most of the variations that he learned from his own teacher, Dr Chen. His attention to detail was amazing. It was also occasionally frustrating, as I’d think I’d finally be doing a movement perfectly, only to be corrected by him on some small component of the sequence. This continued right up until this year. The last time I saw him, I drove us to a small park near his aged care facility, and he was pretty uncharacteristically flat and “over it”. He walked about 10 metres, with his cane, then plonked down on the nearest bench. I started demonstrating the Tai Chi form, and he immediately picked up on some details that needed improvement. As I proceeded through the whole 20-minute form, he perked up a bit, throwing in anecdotes about Dr Chen, and from his life as a musician, while still giving me ways to improve my practice. We had lunch at a nearby Mexican place, and a good chat, and when I dropped him back, he was smiling and laughing again. As he got out of the car, he parted with his famous line: ‘Whatever happens, don’t let ‘em catch ya!’ “ (Facebook post May 2nd, 2026)
In 1977 Les joined the Keith Glass Band. Keith Glass, “One of the unsung legends of Australian rock music” (McFarlane), left Cam-Pact in 1969 and joined the cast of ‘Hair’. In 1977 he formed Missing Link Records with David Pepperill and pursued a solo career mainly as a country musician. One of his projects during this year was the Keith Glass Band, an R&B and country-tinged rock group with Wayne Duncan on bass (ex-Daddy Cool), Robert Souter on drums and Les on guitar. When Wayne Burt (ex Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons) joined on guitar in October the group changed their nam
PART 3 – JOE BLOW TO THE ALL PLANES 1980 – 1989
During 1982 Les played in the very popular Melbourne pub band, Joe Blow. Bass player Glenn Suckling and his partner were running the Duke Of Edinburgh Hotel in St Kilda. Monday night was a quiet night, so Glenn decided he’d organise a band night to liven the place up. He had no great expectations of what would happen, but the band was so good and that within six months people were queuing up down the street to get in.
The band played music in the soul/blues vein mainly from the early ‘60s catalogues of artists such as Johnnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and Junior Walker. The band had a star-studded cast of players including Geoff Wright (guitar ex-Doug Parkinson Band), Les Stacpool (guitar), Graham Davidge (guitar ex- Goanna), Mick ‘The Reverend’ O’Connor (Hammond organ ex-Goanna), Russell Smith (trumpet, valve trombone ex-Ram Jam Big Band), Steve Williams (tenor sax), Jojo Smith (vocals) and Glenn Suckling (bass ex-Bobby James Syndicate) and Russell Coleman (drums). The band lasted for about 18 months.
The next band Les became part of around 1983 also boasted an impressive list of well-known players. The Ram Band was put together by drummer John Van Boxtel and often played at the Carlton Club Hotel. The group had a constantly changing line-up but when Les joined its members included Ross Hannaford (guitar, vocals ex-Daddy Cool), Bob Starkie (guitar ex-Skyhooks), Greg Cook (guitar), Les Stacpool (guitar), Wayne Duncan (bass ex-Daddy Cool), Leigh Horbon (sax), Rick Dean (keys) and John Van Boxtel (drums). Sadly, John passed away in March 2025.
During the ‘80s Les made a few short overseas trips supporting singer Colin Cook. On one occasion they travelled to Thailand and another to Hong Kong. Their trip to Hong Kong was memorable for all the wrong reasons as Les recalls, “Two of the band members were constantly at each other’s necks. We were playing away one night, and these two guys are fighting and the next minute they went through the back of the wall of the stage.”
Les had known sax player/singer Colin Cook since the early days of Melbourne rock’n’roll. Cook was born in Dacca, Bangladesh in 1942 and moved to Australia with his family when he was 10 years old. He joined his first band the Sapphires in 1957 then joined the Thunderbirds a year later. He left the Thunderbirds in 1960 to pursue a solo career and in late 1962 he signed to W&G issuing 13 singles. He moved to the UK in 1967 were he worked on the London stage productions of ‘Hair’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ before returning to Australia in 1984.
In 1986 Les was part of another group featuring outstanding players, the All Stars (not to be confused with the All Stars that backed John Paul Young). The All Stars can trace their history back to the ‘50s when the Danny Sowden All Stars split and became the Henri Bource All Stars. This group performed for a few years before Henri Bource joined the Thunderbirds. They reformed in 1983, then in 1986 began performing as Merv Benton & the All Stars. Les of course had previously played in Benton’s group the Tamlas back in 1966.
Whenever the group performed they were extremely popular and in 1986 they released a 5-track EP. Stan Rofe comments on the Ep’s liner notes, “The mid-‘80s shows by Merv Benton & the All Stars have been unanimously acclaimed vibrant, masterful exhibitions of rock’n’roll. It has been my pleasure to be part of these shows.”
The line-up at the time were Merv Benton (vocals), Henri Bource (sax), Murray Robertson (keys), Les Stacpool (guitar), Ron Chapman (drums) and Ian B Allen (bass).
“A fantastic line-up of talented musos, I idolised Les Stacpool from the Chessmen days coming to GLU8 in Traralgon on ‘Teen Time’. “ (Frank Leyshan, Facebook comment, April 19th, 2024
PART 4 – RIGHT ON THE NIGHT TO THE WILD CHERRIES 1990 – 2025
During the ‘90s and into the 2000s Les did not slow down and never lost his enthusiasm for performing. He joined a new band called Right On The Night. In the early ‘90s he met up with Dan Robinson who he had known since the late ‘60s. The two had never played in the same band but often worked at the same venues. Dan Robinson (born March 15, 1947) has been described as being “Blessed with a fabulous soulful voice that displayed tremendous power and drive …” (Warburton). In 1967 he joined the Wild Cherries and sang on their ‘killer’ singles Chrome Plated Yabby (June ’67), That’s Life (Nov ’67), Gotta Stop Lying (April ’68) and I Don’t Care (Sept ’68).
Dan departed the Wild Cherries in October 1968 to replace Malcolm McGee in the Virgil Brothers in London. He returned to Australia in 1970 and joined Mick Hadley’s Coloured Balls, then later that year he recorded a cover of Cat Stevens’ Wild World under the name Forth House which became a national hit. During the ‘80s he moved to Tasmania and became a maker of quality guitars. Dan recalls how Right On The Night came together,
“I ran into Les at a Sunday afternoon gig, we were both spectators in the early ‘90s. I mentioned how much I admired his playing and mentioned that I was thinking of getting a band together. He said he was very interested and then quite out of the blue, only a couple of weeks later Peter Robinson rang me and asked if I’d like to join this band with him and Les and Harold Frith. And I said, “Absolutely.”
The line-up of the band included Dan Robinson (vocals), Peter Robinson (bass ex Strangers), Les Stacpool (guitar) and Harold Frith (drums). Right On The Night played R&B and became a popular attraction playing regularly at the Rainbow Hotel on Sunday night. The band lasted for about two years.
When Right On The Night finished Les and Dan continued on as a duo. Les would sing and play guitar and Dan would sing and play bass and harmonica. During 1993 Les also started performing as a duo with Blues/Soul singer Wendy Saddington. Wendy Saddington (Sept 26th, 1949 – June 21, 2013) first came to prominence in the late ‘60s in psychedelic soul bands Revolution, James Taylor Move and the original version of Chain. In 1970 she joined Copperwine as co-vocalist with Jeff St John and in 1972 she scored her only hit with Looking Through A Window. After adopting Krishna Consciousness in the ‘70s she took the name Gendharvika Dasi.
During this time Les would quite often turn up at rehearsals and jams for a group put together by Geoff Wright and Glenn Suckling called 12 Bars From Mars. Glenn Suckling recalls, “Every Monday night we used to get together at this studio. We used to write stuff and Les bought Wendy quite a few times.”
Les was never an official member of the group but when 12 Bars From Mars recorded their album ‘The Planet Rocks’ he was asked to play on three tracks, Ain’t No Mistake, The Fool and Growing Pains. The band’s line-up included Geoff Wright (vocals, guitar), Glenn Suckling (bass), Mick ‘The Reverend’ O’Connor (Hammond organ, electric and acoustic piano), and Trevor Courtney (drums). When the album was released in 1996 it received quite a lot of critical praise. “The album is a ripper and is as rare as hen’s teeth to get.” (Craig Davies YouTube comment).
During the late ‘90s Les made some positive lifestyle changes. During his younger days he never smoked cigarettes and drank very little alcohol, but he did develop a pot smoking habit. He decided it was time he did something about it for his own well-being. He started attending devotional services at the Hare Krishna Temple and he became a devotee of the Hare Krishna faith. He also went through a radical dietary change and began eating macro biotic foods. He fully embraced healthy eating habits and began a part time job as a tofu maker at Tofu International in Richmond. His friends started calling him ‘Mr Bean’.
In 1996 Les joined the raucous R&B blues band Black Smith Hopkins. The band was led by Nick Hopkins Smith who is the son of Gulliver Smith. Two bands shared the backing duties for this talented singer/songwriter, one in Sydney and one in Melbourne. The band Les was part of included some well-known names of the Melbourne music scene. They included Peter Robinson (bass), Harold Frith (drums), Les Stacpool (guitar), Peter Wells (slide guitar) and Dan Kerr (guitar). Black Smith Hopkins self-titled debut album issued in 1997 has been described as “One of the most exciting and dynamic blues albums ever issued in Australia.” (McFarlane). Les did not play on the follow up album ‘Buried Up To My Neck’ (1998), but he returned for ‘Conviction’ (1990), 13 Tales (2000), Salt & Sugar (2001), and ‘Vagabond’ (2011).
The next band Les was part of played a completely different style of music. Les first met drummer Les Oldham in a recording studio and told him, “If you ever want to do something, just give me a call.” The drummer took Les up on his offer and they worked together in different projects for several years after. The first band they played together in was called 2nd Helping and they played country music. The group issued a 7-track self-made CD titled ‘Live …All Night’ in 2000. The line-up included Julieann Vila (vocals), Dan Robinson (bass, vocals), Les Stacpool (guitar), and Les Oldham (drums).
On August 24th, 2002 Les was included in a reunion concert of Merv Benton & the Tamlas. The concert celebrated the release of a double CD featuring all of Merv’s W&G recordings and was held at Kingston City Hall, Moorabbin. The line-up appearing with Merv that night included Noel Watson (guitar), Denis Tucker (bass), Les Stacpool (lead guitar), Andrew King (keyboards) and Eddie Chappell (drums). During the week of the concert Merv celebrated his 60th birthday at Cabaret 499 in St Kilda. A DVD titled ‘Yeah! Still Shakin’!’ released in 2002, features both the concert and birthday celebration.
Les’ next project with Les Oldham, formed in 2002, was a 3-piece blues band called Les Stacpool & the Blue Horizons. The band consisted of Les Stacpool (guitar), Les Oldham (drums) and Andy Burns (bass). The band issued a self-made CD titled ‘Live At The Yak’. Also in 2002 the same trio jumped on the funk bandwagon calling themselves Funkster & the Ambient Funks playing at RSLs and restaurants. Les Oldham recalls, “Someone would set up a groove and the other two boys would set up something around it. At the time it was the style of music going around. Stackie would write the actual repertoire and it all came together, he had so many things going on in his mind at the time.”
In 2012 Les formed a band with long-time friend’s, bass player Dave Thomson and drummer Bob Carey along with singer Sammi Gold. They called themselves Live & Kicking with Sammi Gold and they played covers of blues, rock and soul. Sammi Gold recalls,
“Les was very kind because I was a single Mum at the time, and he was worried that I wasn’t earning enough money. He got me gigs, introduced me to other musicians, took me to little trio gigs with another man he was working with, Rick Evans.”
Sammi’s best memory of Les is the time he invited her to sing in band he organised to play at Broken Hill,
“We drove up to Broken Hill with the drummer Mel Ronay and met the bass player Paul from Queensland. We all sat in the hotel room and brainstormed all the songs we knew and came up with a song list. We told them we could do children’s songs so we could play this Christmas gig the next day for the families of the people at the pub. So, Les learnt ‘Santa Wears His Shorts’ by Hi-5.”
In September 2014 the Les Stacpool Trio (Les, Les Oldham & Andy Burns) played at the Bluesology Launch Party at the Newport Bowls Club. During this time Les also played quite a few pub gigs in a duo with drummer Harold Frith calling themselves Stackfull. They played a number of times at the Lomond Hotel in Brunswick East. Ray Moon is the sound engineer at the Lomond and recalled, “They did 10 or 15 gigs at the Lomond and I was amazed with Les’ ability with the guitar, he’s a monster, every time he sits down with the thing he produces something new.”Stackfull released a self-titled CD which Harold plugs in his Wrok Down interview with Wendy Stapleton in 2014.
In 2015 Les formed another band with Dan Robinson and Les Oldham. They started off as the Recliners but decided to revive the name of Dan Robinson’s 1960s group and the Wild Cherries. Playing a repertoire of ‘60s R&B artists like Little Richard, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding the band became a popular attraction at pubs, RSLs and were quite often booked for home parties. The line-up included Dan Robinson (bass, vocals), Les Oldham (drums, vocals), Les Stacpool (guitar), Rob Albert (sax ex Sha Orchestra) and Rob Calvert (sax). Ray Moon later joined them on piano. The band played on and off for the next 10 years and played their last gig at the end of 2024.
Les and Dan Robinson continued working as a duo and played regularly at the Minyip
Hotel. Their act was always appreciated by the locals at this small town 320 kms northwest of Melbourne. From around 2016 Les also did a lot of work in a duo with Les Oldham calling themselves the Lesters. Les Oldham recalls, “We would play what they called acoustic nights, but they were just a cut down version of band nights. We’d play restaurants that just wanted a duo out the back. Stackie would play the acoustic with pedals, and I’d be playing a cut down kit and because we both sang, we had a huge repertoire.” The Lesters recorded a self-made 5-track CD titled ‘aCross that Bridge’ that they sold at their gigs. The CD states “He plays a mix of swingin’ blues with rock’n’roll attitude.” Also, around this time Les also played in a trio with former Browns bandmate Annie Neil and drummer Bob Carey.
In 2019 Les featured in a series of videos recorded at Musicland. Les sings and plays guitar backed by Nelson Vinta (keys), Matt Cameron (bass), Danny Moran (sax) and Glen Roche (drums). The songs include Les’ unique interpretations of songs including I Shot The Sheriff, Stand By Me and Runaway. All of the tunes are once only takes and are well worth checking out. “Several of the tunes from this session are classic examples of Les, his quality, creative approach and seasoned talent.” (Youtube comment).
When I spoke to Les in December 2025 he said, “I always tried to do the right thing and try to be some addition to the band. Being a Virgo, I’m a pretty low-key sort of guy. I’ve never been one to kick up much of a fuss, always work in the background, always being a support person.”
Les moved into an aged care facility but still got out to play whenever he could. Because he could no longer drive, someone came to pick him up and drive him to the venue. One of the venues he regularly played at was the Montmorency-Eltham RSL. Les says, “I still enjoy getting up and playing. I’ve been playing for 66 years, pretty much non-stop. Give me a chair and an amplifier and I just rock along.” Friend Ray Moon often picks Les up to take him to gigs. Ray says, “Les is amazing, he’s usually surrounded by lots of little scraps of paper, which he hardly ever refers to. I went to his 81st birthday about two months ago and he comes in with a walking stick … A friend booked a whole lot of musicians and Les just walked in the door. He goes straight to the guitar chair, sat down and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. It was fabulous hearing him play again, he’s one of the giants.”
Something that upsets a lot of Les’ friends is that he was never given the chance to record an album of his own material.” Annie Neil sums up a lot of people’s feelings when she said, “Every musician I’ve ever come into contact with was blown away with Les’ ability. He played with some great great people, and you often hear his name mentioned in circles of musos, but not many other people have a clue who he is. It’s a tragedy to me. To most people he would be a guitarist’s guitarist, he’s such an icon.”
On Monday 27th April, many people were shocked to learn that Les Stacpool had passed away. Among the many tributes that appeared on Facebook over the next few days was this one from Robert Calvert,
”I reckon the word ‘legend’ gets overused, but in the passing of Leslie Robert Stacpool we really have lost an Australian guitar legend. Les goes back to the beginning of rock’n’roll in Melbourne. I had the good fortune of playing with Les in Dan Robinson’s Wild Cherries. Dan heard me play in a wine bar in Belmont, Geelong in 2015 and asked if I wanted to sit in with his band the following week ….With no rehearsal I did indeed sit in with the Wild Cherries, and continued to sit in. I didn’t actually rehearse with them for about the first two years playing in the band! Nobody in the band complained, in fact the flexibility and fluidity of the band’s style, greatly influenced by Les, hardly ever playing the same thing twice, was an aspect of the band’s style I really loved. For me, there’s nothing like expecting the unexpected, hearing songs in the repertoire constantly being reinterpreted in real time. It kept me on my toes, as I expect it did for us all. I loved this fresh and exhilarating musical environment. Les, you were one out of the bag. I along with so many other musicians and members of your audience will miss you greatly.” (Facebook May 2nd, 2026)
Written and researched by Graeme Brown. Please seek permission to copy any part of this story, including text & photos |
Discography:
With Johnny Chester & the Chessmen
Shy Away/A Funny Feeling W&G WG-S-1453 06/62
Let’s Dance/Forty Days W&G WG-S-1507 10/62
Summertime Blues/I Love Mary W&G WG-S-1537 12/62
Come On Everybody/Old Copper Kettle W&G WG-S-1688 08/63
Teeny/Do The Stomp W&G WG-S-1803 01/64
Bye Bye Johnny/Miss Ann W&G WG-S-1869 04/64
Unless You Care/Baby I Don’t Care W&G WG-S-1999 11/64
When Will I Be Loved/Shop Around W&G WG-S-2425 07/65
Something’s Got A Hold On Me/It’s Too Late In IN-S-2483 09/65
Steppin’ Out/I Feel Good All Overide In IN-S-2563 02/66
With the Chessmen
Rebel (Johnny Yuma)/Outer Santum W&G WG-S-1508 09/62
Rock’n’Roll Music/Like Long Hair W&G WG-S-1863 05/64
Wild Little Willie/Twistified W&G WG-S-1940 07/64
Hound Dog/Bop A Lena In IN-S-2473 09/64
The Chessmen Play And Sing Dance Favourites’ LP W&G WGB 1964
Rock’n’Roll Music, Morgan, Lucielle, Twenty Flight Rock, Teenage Letter, Twistified, Bop-A-Lena/Wild Little Willie, Comin’ Home baby, Waitin’ In School, Like Longhair, Oh Why, Reelin’ And Rockin’, Hidaway.
With the Merv Benton & the Tamlas
Shimmy Shimmy ‘65/Baby Let’s Play House W&G S 2491 11/65
We Got Love/Sell My Soul W&G S 2518 01/66
You’ve Got What It Takes/Shake Rattle & Roll W&G S 2545 02/66
Worryin’ Kind/Big Jack W&G S 2601 05/66
I’ll Go Crazy/It Hurts Me W&G S 8015 10/66
King Of Love/Who’ll Be Next In Line W&G S 8039 12/66
Bonaparte’s Retreat/Do It Again A Little Bit Slower
W&G S 8072 05/67
Too Many Fish In The Sea/You Don’t Have To Be So Nice
W&G S 8101 08/67
Lovin’ Up A Storm/Come On Up W&G S 8133 12/67
With the Tamlas
Bald Headed Lena/I’m Shaking W&G S 8086 07/67
With Rockwell T James & the Rhythm Aces
Love Power/New Orleans Funk Festival Festival FK- 2239 02//68
With Aesop’s Fables
Little Yellow Pills/Sandman Generation GE 001 10/70
Solo
Down By The River//Don’t Go Away Generation GE 005 02/71
With Country Radio
Bound For South Australia/I Need A Woman Infinity K-5167 08/73
With 12 Bars From Mars
The Planet Rocks CD
With Blacksmith Hopkins
Blacksmith Hopkins CD
Conviction CD 1990
13 Tales CD 2000
Salt & Sugar CD 2001
Vagabond CD 2011
With 2nd Helping
Live …. All Night CD 08/00
Bartender, Swingin’ Doors, Lonesome Fugitive, You’re the Reason/Lotta Lovin’, ½ As Much, Cheatin’ From.
With Les Stacpool & the Blue Horizons
Live At The Yak CD 2002
Hideaway/Peter Gunn, Corrina, I’ll Make Love To You Any Old Time, You Cried Back Then, My Babe, I Been Framed, One Other Car, Got Love If You Want It, Hey Little Girl, Kitten Blues, Why Oh Why, Crossroads, Lindy Lou.
With The Lesters
aCross The Bridge CD 2002
Ain’t Nobody’s Business, Buzzy Bee, Corinna, Pickajam, The Door.
With Merv Benton & the All Stars
Merv Benton & the All Stars EP ASR 1000 1986
Peter Gunn, New Orleans Beat/Baby What’s Wrong, You Got What It Takes, Rocky Road Blues
With Stackfull
Have A Good Time CD 2014
Sources:
Ray Arnott - Interview: January 19th, 2026
Malcolm Green - Interview: February 8th, 2026
David McLean – Collected Stories On Australian Rock’n’Roll, Canetoad, 1991
Paul McHenry – Melbourne 1970, Moonlight 2019
Ray Moon - Interview: January 9th, 2026
Annie Neil – Interview: January 3rd, 2026
Les Oldham - Interview: January 9th, 2026
Ian McFarlane – Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop 2nd Edition, Third Stone Press, 2017
Dean Mittlehauser – Johnny Chester profile
Dan Robinson - Interview: January 18th, 2026
Barry Roy – Interview: April 27th, 2026
Chris Spencer – The Australian Rock Disography 1956 – 1969, Moonlight Publications, 1998
Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara, Paul McHenry – Who’s Who Of Australian Rock 5th Edition, Five Mile Press, 2002
Sammi Gold - Interview: February 8th, 2026
Les Stacpool - Interview: December 21st, 2025
Chris Stockley - Interview: January 13th, 2026
Glenn Suckling - Interview: January 18th, 2026
Geoff Wright - Interview: January 5th, 2026
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